This thread isn't a matter of what makes more sense, or what actually happened. It's a matter of what people were speculating was going to happen.
And I'm sorry, but speculating that Oda, after 25 years of never having the Straw Hats kill anyone, was all of a sudden going to have one give a human character, a massive, gory death, on panel, is, in my opinion one of the dumbest predictions we've had.
There was no way Oda was going to paint the Straw Hats in that light. They've never been the traditional Pirate crew. Even when they did something "villainy" like "steal the gold" from Skypiea, Oda offset it, by having the villagers trying to give them the gold, unbeknownst to them.
It's not the image the Straw Hats have built up in the World, and Oda wasn't going to tear down what he had built up over the course of the entire serialization, just because. The people who know the Straw Hats, know them as good people. That's how they are perceived by those whose lives they've helped. Imagine Oda throwing that out the window, and delivering the news "Zoro decapitates a Pirate on Wano." It was never going to happen, because it completely shatters the people's perception of the Straw Hats that has been built up since chapter 1.
And I'm sorry, but speculating that Oda, after 25 years of never having the Straw Hats kill anyone, was all of a sudden going to have one give a human character, a massive, gory death, on panel, is, in my opinion one of the dumbest predictions we've had.
There was no way Oda was going to paint the Straw Hats in that light. They've never been the traditional Pirate crew. Even when they did something "villainy" like "steal the gold" from Skypiea, Oda offset it, by having the villagers trying to give them the gold, unbeknownst to them.
It's not the image the Straw Hats have built up in the World, and Oda wasn't going to tear down what he had built up over the course of the entire serialization, just because. The people who know the Straw Hats, know them as good people. That's how they are perceived by those whose lives they've helped. Imagine Oda throwing that out the window, and delivering the news "Zoro decapitates a Pirate on Wano." It was never going to happen, because it completely shatters the people's perception of the Straw Hats that has been built up since chapter 1.
Is Ryuma bad?
Wouln't Wano celebrate just as much they celebrate Ryuma? They already celebrated Joyboy being on par with Ryuma's legend, what more if they actually see the Dragon who terrorized them for 20 years get decapitated.
And if you're worried about Straw Hats' image with the news that Zoro decapitated Kaido, well how 'bout remembering the WG controls the news? The news didn't even report it was Luffy who ended Kaido or Luffy becoming an actual ancient god. Why would they report Zoro decapitated Kaido?
I know ZKK has holes, but to say it is the worst take is just cap. You're either a hater or you've ignored all those teases that Oda did.
Really, there's too much.
Why do you think King's ultimate, without any hint, a Dragon? (Of course you would say because King idolizes Kaido, without realizing this could be Oda trolling.)
Do you really think all those hints Oda was clueless?
It was just a coincidence that Zoro in a cover page was eating a bowl of Ramen that has an Azure dragon as its design?
Or Kaido's number in the magazine 944? Same number as one of the cover page that has a cross near Zoro with the theme being zombies(dead people).
Do you really think something like Sanji > Zoro is not worse than ZKK?